Today I am taking a break from covering my normal beat, business in China and Chinese consumers to talk about what has developed over the last couple of years into one of the most widespread and costly phone scams in the US today.

A few weeks ago I got a call, from the "I.R.S." and the person on the other end of the line claimed that I owed them money and that if I did not pay up immediately they would send someone to put me to jail. I politely asked for the person's name and number so that I could call them back to discuss the matter further. They quickly hung up.

I then set to work googling for information and found that this was a scam that has been perpetrated across the US for the last few years and that thousands of people have lost millions of dollars by falling for it. I also found out many of my friends, relatives and colleagues got similar calls. The scam usually starts with a call from blocked or spoofed caller ID and a con artist identifying him or herself as an IRS agent. Victims are told they are liable for back taxes and must make an immediate payment to avoid legal action. Scammers look to steal from victims directly and to commit identity theft.

Reports from the I.R.S. and consumer protection groups say that the problem was worse this year than ever before and that the lead up to Tax Day 2015 has seen a peak in this pernicious fraud and that as is usual with these scams the elderly and vulnerable are being targeted and are suffering the most. The I.R.S. has issued a statement that:

Thee IRS will always make first contact with you by letter and will not:

• Call you to demand immediate payment of taxes owed without first sending you a prior official written notice;

• Ask you for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or

• Pressure you by threatening to involve local police or other law enforcement to arrest you for nonpayment.

This scam is, in my opinion, partly a result of the technology that usually make our lives easier, but that sometimes can make us vulnerable. As with email scams where criminals use the cover of anonymity and proxy servers to commit their crimes, IRS scammers use blocked calls, private calls and untraceable numbers to hide behind. This got me to thinking about how we all can take the precautions we take online to protect ourselves to do the same with unwanted phone calls that could be criminal in nature.

My research led to to a product called TrapCall and I got a chance to speak with the Ethan Garr, General manager of TelTech, the New Jersey company that makes Trap Call.

EG: TrapCall unmasks the caller behind blocked caller IDs so that people can take control of their phone and privacy. The IRS scam victimizes and defrauds the most vulnerable members of our communities, and TrapCall is a tool that helps protect users by standing guard against phone harassment and abuse.

When a TrapCall subscriber receives a call, they use their phone's conditional call forwarding feature to send the call to TrapCall. Even if the call is blocked and says, no caller ID, restricted, private, or unknown, TrapCall will ring back the call unmasked and provide blacklisting options. Other features, including name and address caller ID, voicemail transcription, and even call recording, provide TrapCall users with a full suite of protective services.

MZ: So trap call can protect consumers from the IRS scam and other like it, how can it help people from being victimized by technology that helps them but that also makes them open to negative consequences?

EG: The TrapCall team is committed to helping our users stop phone harassment of any kind. Whether the problem is as personal as a crazy ex-boyfriend or girlfriend hiding behind a blocked caller ID, as annoying as a telemarketer calling blocked at all hours, or as dangerous as the IRS and other scams attempting to steal social security numbers and other private information, TrapCall lets users take back their phones and their privacy.

MZ: Do you have any further advice consumers looking to stay safe this tax season and in future tax seasons?

EG: Yes, we advise people to treat their phone the same way they treat their computers. It is a great tool but it is also a window into your home and private life. People should keep up to date on what the latest phone scams are, never give out private in

IRS

formation without getting 100% verification on who you are talking to and think of trap call as the anti-virus for your phone.

MZ: Thank you Ethan for shedding light on how people can protect themselves in the period following tax day and for putting the risks in context.

EG: Thanks Michael, we are committed to protecting people's privacy in a world where we enjoy less and less of it every day.

Tax day is painful for everyone, don;t let if be more painful by allowing yourself or a loved one to fall victim to the IRS phone scam.